Table



JLF. ARNOLD.

TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15. l9l6.

Patented July 1, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Ill/II I I fflflllffllm W m WITNESS ATTORNEY EUNFITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB F. ARNOLD, F BELLEVUE, OHIO.

TABLE.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JACOB F. ARNOLD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Belle-vue,'in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tables, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to tables of the type generally knownzas desk tables and usually having a flat top, a center drawer, and book racks or cases at its opposite ends;

- and the general object of the improvement is to combine in a single article of manufacture all of'the advantageous features of a library table, a writing desk, and dust proof book cases.

The object of the invention thus generally stated is attained by mounting in the drawer, in compact arrangement, a receptacle or holder for writing materials and a desk leaf of ample size for use as a writing table or support, the holder for the writin' materials being operable either automatically reclined or inoperative-position to an upright or operativeposition when the drawer is opened and provided with means for maintaining it in "such position; and by providing book compartments at the opposite ends of the table whichare adapted to be-complete'ly closed against the entrance of dust or dirt by swinging doors having a sliding pivotal mounting whereby they are adapted to be slid edgewi'se'into inoperative position in The construction and arrangement by the compartments;

"which" the general objects and purposes of r the improvement set forth are attained, to-

gethemwith other'and ancillary advantages,

are illustrated in'the accompanying draw- 1 S forming parthereof, in which igure 1 is a perspective view of a table "showing the drawer opened and having a (holder-"for writing materials in operative position therein, and one of the book compartments'wi-th its door opened;

-Fig. 2, a sectionalview through the table [on line '2 2, Fig. 1, showing the drawer closed with the holder in inoperative posinon; and automatic operating means;

, Fig. 3, a fragmentary sectional view on -'1ine3-+3, Fig. 1; showing the holder mainother form of holder;

Specification-of Letters Patent. Patented 1y 1 1919, Application filed December 15, 1916. Serial No. 187,258.

in, the operating means for the holder being omitted; h

Fig. 6, a fragmentary to plan view showing a holder held in uprig t operative position inthe drawer by a sliding cover for the writing instrument container, engaging one of the upper side edges of the drawer;

Fig. 7, a sectional view on line 7-7, Fig. 6 a

Fig. 8, a sectional view through the table with the drawer closed and showing an- Fig. 9, a fragmentary sectional view on line 9-9, Fig.- 8, but showing the holder locked in upright position;

Fig. 10, a fragmentary perspective view shawlng the locking means for the holder; an

Fig. 11, a similar view showing a detachable pivotal mounting for the holder.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The table includes the usual top 1 supported by the legs 2 suitably braced,- the center drawer 3, and book compartments 4 at the opposite ends of the table at each side of the drawer.

. The drawer 3 which may be of any well known or preferred construction, and slidably supported in the table, is provided with a desk .leaf 5 hingedly mounted in the drawer near and preferably slightly rearward of its center. Preferably the desk leaf is of the same width as the drawer except that at its rear or hinged edge, its end edges are notched as at 6 to permit it to be entered between the side walls of the drawer to which it is pivoted by means of pivot pins 7 ;and the upper edges of the of the drawer are cut away as upper edges of the drawer;

a transverse partition 3 drawer at the hinged end of the desk leaf,

-wall with to form a separate compartment in the forward portion of the drawer.

. In the rear portion of the drawer 3, means are provided for holding writing materials such as stationery, writing instruments and the like, in compact and orderly arrangement, consisting of a rack or holder 11 pivotally mounted for operation from a normally reclined position when the drawer is closed to an upright position when the drawer is opened. The,holder, which for convenience will be described with reference to its normal inoperative position, is made substantially rectangular in shape with upper and lower walls 12 and '13, side walls 1 1 and rear or bottom wall 15, and is of a length adapted to fit between the side walls of the drawer by which it is pivotally supported on an axis slightly above its center of gravity so that it will normally be suspended in reclined position, with its upper wall substantially flush with the upper edges of the drawer. On its interior, the receptacle is provided with a plurality of longitudinal and transverse partitions or divisions 16 to form receptacles for paper, envelopes and the like, and on its lower a container 17 for writing instruments, normally opening forwardly and providedwith a cover 18. The forward end of the holder is preferably shaped so that the open ends of the various receptacles will lie in a forwardly declined plane when the holder is in operative position, in order that they will be readily accessible.

A detachable pivotal mounting, shown most clearly in Fig. 11, is preferably pr vided for the holder at each side of the drawer, consisting of a pair of laterally yielding metallic supports or arms 19 mounted uprightly on the inner surfaces of the drawer side walls and having bearing openings 20 in their upper ends adapted to receive pivot pins 21 carried by pivot plates 22 which are secured in their proper position on the side walls of the holder. The upper ends of the arms are bent away from the side walls of the drawer so that they yieldingly maintain the pivot pins 21 in the bearing openings. It will thus be evident that the holder may be readily detached from the drawer by springing the arms outwardly out of engagement with the pivots; and that the pivotal bearings form a transverse aXiS of rotation passing through a median portion of the body of the receptacle, upon which axis the same may be bodily rotated.

Means may be provided for automatically rotating or tilting the holder from its nora full upright position, so that in this in- .position by slidingv the same endwise so that mally reclined or inoperative position into upright position, when the drawer is opened for use, and maintaining it in such position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3; or such means may be omitted and the holder manually operated into operative position and means provided for holding it in such position, as shown in Figs. 5 to 9.

The means for automatically holder into operative position, preferably consists of a block or bar 23 mounted trans versely on the .upper wall of the holder slightlyrearward of the pivot pins 21 and the upper rail 24 of the table frame forming a cam abutment for the block, the block being adapted to engage the rail when the drawer is opened. The upper forward edge tilting the I 7!) of the tilting bar 23 and the lower rearward edge of the rail 24: are shaped toform coacting cam surfaces 23 and 24:, on the bar and rail respectively, whereby when the bar engages with the rail in the forward movement of the drawer, the bar is first caused to ride downwardly to rotate the holder into upright position and then forwardly into engagement with the lower side of the rail to maintain the holder in operative position. One or more stops 25 of any suitable shape are provided at the rear end of the drawer, which stops project below the bottom. wall thereof and are adapted to engage with the inner side of the lower rail 26 of the table frame when the holder has been tilted, thus preventing the drawer from being drawn forwardly far enoughto disengage the tilt- I ing block from the rail.

The instrument container 17 is so positioned onv the lower wall of the holder that when the holder is rotated into upright position, the forward portion of the container will protrude slightly above the side edges of the drawer so that the cover 18, which may be slidably mounted in dove-tailed grooves in the container, may be slid to one side in opening-the container;

As shown in Fig. 3, the automatic tilting means serve to rotate the holder only to a partial upright position, so that the container 17 is fixed on the lower wall of the holder at an acute angle therewith whereby 1 when the holder is at the upper limit of its movement the container will open directly upwardly; and when the automatic tilting means are omitted as in Figs. 5 to 9, the holder is adapted to be manually rotated to stance the container 17 is secured on the lower wall of the holder at right angles therewith. In either case, the cover 18 may be utilized to maintain the holder in upright it will engage with the adjacent upper edge of the side wall of the drawer, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

When the container is mounted on the rear edgethereof may be beveled as at 17' to prevent an interference with the bottom of the drawer, but when the container is' mounted at right angles with the lower wall of the holder, it may be necessary to remove the bottom of the drawer below the holder in case the depth of the drawer is not sufficient to permit its free rotation.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 11, means may be provided at one or both sides of the drawer for automatically locking the holder in upright position. For this purpose the side walls of the holder are enlarged, as shown in Fig. 8, to include between them'the container 17 on the lower wall of the holder; and a spring latch 26, having its free upper or forward end bent outwardly to form a catch 26 and then upwardly, is secured at its lower or rear end to the side wall of the holder at a point below the container '17. The free end of the latch is bent outwardly away from the side wall of the holder and yieldingly engages with the side wall of the drawer when the holder is in inoperative osition, and is of such length that when the iiolder is rotated into upright position, it will spring outwardly so that the catch 26 will engage with the upper edge of the side wall of the drawer and maintain the drawer in operative position.

The cover 18 for the container 17 in this instance is suitably hinged to the lower wall of the holder, and in order to lock it in closed position when the holder is in inoperative position, a pin 27 is provided on the upper free end of the latch which extends inwardly at substantially right angles therewith, and when the latch is pressed inwardly to release it from operative position, the pin is adapted to enter through an opening 28 in the wall of the holder into an opening 29 in theend of the cover 18, in which posltlon 1t is held until the holder is again rotated into upright position.

It will thus be evident that simultaneouslywith the releasing of the holder from its upright position by pressing the locking latch inwardly, the cover for the container is locked against rotation and is held in such position by the side walls of the drawer.

The book compartments 4 at each end of the table are formed by means of bottom, side and rear walls, immediately below the top 1 which serves as a top wall, and are closed against the entrance of dust and dirt by means of swinging doors 30 which are pivotally mounted at the upper ends of the compartments and adapted .to slide edgewise into inoperative position therein. As shown in Fig. 4, each compartment is provided along the upper inner ed es of its end walls with a slideway by whiai the door is supported. Such slideway consists of an angular bar 32, the upright portion of which vis wall of the compartment between the inner wall of the leg 2 of the table and the rear wall of the compartment, and slightly below the top wall, and is provided with a longitudinal groove 33 in which a dowel the door near its upper edge is adapted to -slide. The horizontal portion of the bar forms a track 35 which serves to support the door as it slides into and out of the compartment, and at its forward end is rounded downwardly to form a cam abutment 36 with which the inner side of the door enga es near its hinlged edge to prevent it from Sllding inward y at its upper end when closed, the groove 33 being continued outwardly beyond the end of the bar into the leg of the table in order to permit a swinging operation of thedoor.

I claim 1. A table having a desk drawer supported for sliding forward and rearward therein, and a forwardly opening receptacle for writing material and the like supported in the drawer for rotating upon a transverse axis passing through a median portion of its body, the forward open end of the receptacle being rotated downward to an inaccessible positlon when the drawer is closed and upward to an accessible position when the drawer is opened.

secured to the side 2. A table having a desk drawer supported I for sliding forward and rearward therein, a forwardly opening receptacle for writing material and the like, supported in the drawer for rotating upon a transverse axis passin through a median portion of its body, t e forward open end of the receptacle being rotated downward to an inaccessible position when the drawer is closed, and means actuated by the forward movement of the drawer for rotating the forward end of the receptacle upward into accessible po sition when the drawer is opened.

3. A table having a desk drawer supported for sliding forward and rearward therein,

a forwardly opening writing material receptacle supported in the drawer for rotating upon a transverse axis passing through amedian portion of its body, the receptacle being rotated downward to an inaccesslble position when the drawer is closed, and upward to an accessible position when the drawer is opened, and means for stopping the holder in accessible position.

4. A drawer for tables or the like having a holder for writing materials rotatably mounted therein, and a spring latch secured to the holder having a catch on its free end adaptedto engage with the upper edge of the side wall of the drawer to lock theholder in operative position.

5. A drawer for tables or the like having a holder for writing materials rotatably mounted therein, including a container for writing instruments having a cover, and

means engaging the cover for looking it in closed position when the holder is in inoperative osition,- and disengaged therefrom when t e holder is in operative position.

6. A drawer for tables or the like having .a holder for writing materials rotatably mounted therein, including a container for writing instruments having aeover with an opening in its end, a spring latch bent outwardly and upwardly at lts free end and having a pin thereon entered into the opening in the cover when the holder is in inoperative position and disengaged therefrom when the holder is in operative position.

A ACOB E. ARNOLD. 

